338 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



shewed great unwillingness to go out, and lingered 

 about the fire, under the pretence of cleaning his 

 gun. After we had read the morning service I 

 went about noon to gather some tripe de roche, 

 leaving Mr. Hood sitting before the tent at the 

 fire-side arguing with Michel ; Hepburn was em- 

 ployed cutting down a tree at a short distance 

 from the tent, being desirous of accumulating a 

 quantity of fire wood before he left us. A short 

 time after I went out I heard the report of a gun, 

 and about ten minutes afterwards Hepburn called 

 to me in a voice of great alarm, to come directly. 

 When I arrived, I found poor Hood lying lifeless 

 at the fire-side, a ball having apparently entered 

 his forehead. I was at first horror-struck with 

 the idea, that in a fit of despondency he had 

 hurried himself into the presence of his Almighty 

 Judge, by an act of his own hand ; but the con- 

 duct of Michel soon gave rise to other thoughts, 

 and excited suspicions which were confinned, 

 when upon examining the body, I discovered that 

 the shot had entered the back part of the head, 

 and passed out at the forehead, and that the 

 muzzle of the gun had been applied so close as 

 to set fire to the night-cap behind. The gun, 

 which was of the longest kind supplied to the 

 Indians, could not have been placed in a position 

 to infUct such a wound, except by a second per- 



